Reclining seating unit with wall-proximity capability

ABSTRACT

A seating unit includes: a base configured to rest on an underlying surface; a seat; a backrest; an ottoman; and a reclining mechanism attached to the base, seat, backrest and the ottoman. The reclining mechanism comprises a series of pivotally interconnected links configured and arranged to control the movement of the seating unit between an upright position, in which the seat is generally horizontally disposed and positioned above the base, the backrest defines a first backrest angle relative to horizontal and is positioned above a rear portion of the base, and the ottoman is positioned below the seat and above a forward portion of the base, a TV position, in which the ottoman is generally horizontally disposed and positioned forwardly of the base and the seat, and a fully reclined position, in which the backrest defines a second angle relative to horizontal that is less than the first angle. The backrest and seat are substantially stationary relative to the base as the seating unit moves between the upright and fully reclined positions. An uppermost portion of the backrest moves no more than 4 inches rearward relative to the base as the seating unit moves from the TV position to the fully reclined position. In this configuration, the seating unit can provide wall-proximity capability.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to seating units, and relates more particularly to reclining seating units with gliding capability.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Recliner chairs and other reclining seating units have proven to be popular with consumers. These seating units typically move from an upright position, in which the backrest is generally upright, to one or more reclined positions, in which the backrest pivots to be less upright. The movement of the seating unit between the upright and reclined positions is typically controlled by a pair of matching reclining mechanisms that are attached to the seat, backrest and base of the chair.

One particularly popular reclining chair is the so-called “wall-proximity” chair. In a conventional reclining chair, as the backrest moves to the reclined position, the upper end of the backrest moves rearwardly relative to the base of the chair. As a result, typically the chair cannot be positioned such that the backrest is adjacent a wall, as the reclining backrest would strike the wall and thereby be prevented from fully reclining. A “wall-proximity” reclining chair includes some type of mechanism (typically either a linkage or a set of wheels that roll on a track) that move the seat of the chair forward relative to the base to provide additional room for the backrest to recline. Typically, such chairs are configured so that the seat and backrest move forward relative to the base when the chair moves from an upright position to a partially reclined “TV” position, in which the footrest is extended. The seat and backrest then move farther forward relative to the base as the chair from the TV position to its fully reclined position. Exemplary wall-proximity chairs are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,077,663 to Cycowicz et al., 4,337,977 to Rogers et al., 4,531,778 to Rogers, 4,805,960 to Tacker, 5,588,710 to Wiecek, and 5,992,930 to LaPointe et al., and in U.S. Patent Publication No. 20080036248 to Murphy et al., the disclosures of each of which are hereby incorporated herein in their entireties. A typical wall-proximity chair in its upright position can be placed with the backrest within 3 to 4 inches of an adjacent wall and still avoid striking the adjacent wall when moved to the fully reclined position.

One potential shortcoming of wall-proximity chairs is that the wall-proximity mechanism or wheel/rail system is typically somewhat complex, with multiple interconnected intricate parts. As such, production of these mechanisms can be relatively expensive. Consequently, it would be desirable to provide a relatively uncomplicated and inexpensive wall-proximity mechanism.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

As a first aspect, embodiments of the present invention are directed to a seating unit. The seating unit comprises: a base configured to rest on an underlying surface; a seat; a backrest; an ottoman; and a reclining mechanism attached to the base, seat, backrest and the ottoman. The reclining mechanism comprises a series of pivotally interconnected links configured and arranged to control the movement of the seating unit between an upright position, in which the seat is generally horizontally disposed and positioned above the base, the backrest defines a first backrest angle relative to horizontal and is positioned above a rear portion of the base, and the ottoman is positioned below the seat and above a forward portion of the base, a TV position, in which the ottoman is generally horizontally disposed and positioned forwardly of the base and the seat, and a fully reclined position, in which the backrest defines a second angle relative to horizontal that is less than the first angle. The backrest and seat are substantially stationary relative to the base as the seating unit moves between the upright and fully reclined positions. An uppermost portion of the backrest moves no more than 4 inches rearward relative to the base as the seating unit moves from the TV position to the fully reclined position. In this configuration, the seating unit can provide wall-proximity capability.

As a second aspect, embodiments of the present invention are directed to a seating unit, comprising: a base configured to rest on an underlying surface; a seat; a backrest; an ottoman; and a reclining mechanism attached to the base, seat, backrest and ottoman. The reclining mechanism comprises a series of pivotally interconnected links configured and arranged to control the movement of the seating unit between an upright position, in which the seat is generally horizontally disposed and positioned above the base, the backrest defines a first backrest angle relative to horizontal and is positioned above a rear portion of the base, and the ottoman is positioned below the seat and above a forward portion of the base, a TV position, in which the ottoman is generally horizontally disposed and positioned forwardly of the base and the seat, and a fully reclined position, in which the backrest defines a second angle relative to horizontal that is less than the first angle. The backrest and seat are substantially stationary relative to the base as the seating unit moves between the upright and fully reclined positions. An uppermost portion of the backrest moves no more than 3 inches rearward relative to the base as the seating unit moves from the TV position to the fully reclined position. The seat moves upwardly between about 3 and 6 inches relative to the base when the seating unit moves between the TV and fully reclined positions.

As a third aspect, embodiments of the present invention are directed to a seating unit, comprising: a base configured to rest on an underlying surface; a seat; a backrest; an ottoman; a reclining mechanism attached to the base, seat, backrest and ottoman; and a linear actuator attached to the reclining mechanism to drive the seating unit between the upright, TV and fully reclined positions. The reclining mechanism comprises a series of pivotally interconnected links configured and arranged to control the movement of the seating unit between an upright position, in which the seat is generally horizontally disposed and positioned above the base, the backrest defines a first backrest angle relative to horizontal and is positioned above a rear portion of the base, and the ottoman is positioned below the seat and above a forward portion of the base, a TV position, in which the ottoman is generally horizontally disposed and positioned forwardly of the base and the seat, and a fully reclined position, in which the backrest defines a second angle relative to horizontal that is less than the first angle. An uppermost portion of the backrest moves no more than 4 inches rearward relative to the base as the seating unit moves from the TV position to the fully reclined position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a reclining love seat with wall-proximity characteristics according to embodiments of the present invention, the love seat being shown in the upright position.

FIG. 2 is a cutaway side view of the love seat of FIG. 1 shown in the upright position.

FIG. 3 is a cutaway side view of the love seat of FIG. 1 shown in the TV position.

FIG. 4 is a cutaway side view of the love seat of FIG. 1 shown in the fully reclined position.

FIG. 5 is a cutaway top view of the love seat of FIG. 1 shown in the upright position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The present invention now is described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. In the figures, the thickness of certain lines, layers, components, elements or features may be exaggerated for clarity. Broken lines illustrate optional features or operations unless specified otherwise.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the specification and relevant art and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. Well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, phrases such as “between X and Y” and “between about X and Y” should be interpreted to include X and Y. As used herein, phrases such as “between about X and Y” mean “between about X and about Y.” As used herein, phrases such as “from about X to Y” mean “from about X to about Y.”

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “on”, “attached” to, “connected” to, “coupled” with, “contacting”, etc., another element, it can be directly on, attached to, connected to, coupled with or contacting the other element or intervening elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being, for example, “directly on”, “directly attached” to, “directly connected” to, “directly coupled” with or “directly contacting” another element, there are no intervening elements present. It will also be appreciated by those of skill in the art that references to a structure or feature that is disposed “adjacent” another feature may have portions that overlap or underlie the adjacent feature.

This invention is directed to seating units that have a frame, a seat portion, and a backrest. As used herein, the terms “forward”, “forwardly”, and “front” and derivatives thereof refer to the direction defined by a vector extending from the backrest toward the seat parallel to the underlying surface. Conversely, the terms “rearward”, “rearwardly”, and derivatives thereof refer to the direction directly opposite the forward direction; the rearward direction is defined by a vector that extends from the seat toward the backrest parallel to the underlying surface. The terms “lateral,” “laterally”, and derivatives thereof refer to the direction parallel with the floor, perpendicular to the forward and rearward directions, and extending away from a plane bisecting the seating units between their armrests. The terms “medial,” “inward,” “inboard,” and derivatives thereof refer to the direction that is the converse of the lateral direction, i.e., the direction parallel with the floor, perpendicular to the forward direction, and extending from the periphery of the seating units toward the aforementioned bisecting plane.

The seating units illustrated and described herein comprise a plurality of pivotally interconnected links. Those skilled in this art will appreciate that the pivots between links can take a variety of configurations, such as pivot pins, rivets, bolt and nut combinations, and the like, any of which would be suitable for use with the present invention. Also, the shapes of the links may vary as desired, as may the locations of certain of the pivots. Moreover, in some instances combinations of pivot points may be replaced by equivalent structures, such as “slider-crank” configurations, like those described in B. Paul, Kinematics and Dynamics of Planar Machinery 4-21 (1979).

Referring now to FIG. 1, a love seat according to embodiments of the present invention is shown therein and designated broadly at 10. The love seat 10 includes a base 12, two seats 18, two backrests 22, and two front and two rear ottomans 24 a, 24 b, all of which are interconnected with reclining mechanisms 30. The reclining mechanisms 30 are configured to move the seat 18, backrest 22 and ottomans 24 between an upright position (FIG. 2), a TV position (FIG. 3) and a fully reclined position (FIG. 4). These components are described in greater detail below.

The base 12 includes arms 14 on opposite sides thereof. Referring to FIG. 5, a cross-member 16 a spans the arms 14 toward the rear of the love seat 10, and a cross-member 16 b spans the arms 14 in a lower central portion of the love seat 10. Longitudinally-extending inner mounting panels 18 a, 18 b are mounted in the center of the base 12.

Referring now to FIG. 2, one of the reclining mechanisms 30 is shown therein in its upright position. The love seat 10 includes a total of four reclining mechanisms 30, two of which are connected with each respective backrest 22, front ottoman 24 a, rear ottoman 24 b and seat 18. The reclining mechanisms 30 attached to the same backrest 18, front ottoman 24 a, rear ottoman 24 b and seat 18 are mirror images of each other relative to a vertical plane that bisects the seat 18 and backrest 22 longitudinally, and the pairs of reclining mechanisms 30 are identical. As such, only one reclining mechanism 30 will be described in detail herein, with the understanding that the discussion is equally applicable to the other reclining mechanisms 30. The reclining mechanism 30 will be described first in its upright position (FIG. 2), with its movement to the other positions following after.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the reclining mechanism 30 includes a mounting bracket 32 that is mounted to the inner surface of the arm 14 (or the outer surface of the inner mounting panel 18 a, 18 b, as the case may be) and, as such, is fixed relative to and forms part of the base 12. The mounting bracket 32 includes upwardly extending fingers at either end. A front swing link 34 is attached to the forward end of the mounting bracket 32 at a pivot 36 and extends downwardly and slightly forward therefrom. A rear swing link 38 is attached to the rear end of the mounting bracket 32 at a pivot 40 and extends downwardly and slightly forwardly therefrom. A seat mounting assembly 42 includes an outer seat bracket 44 and an inner seat bracket 45 that are fixed to each other, then are fixed to a seat frame 20 that supports the seat 18 from underneath. The lower, forward end of the outer seat bracket 44 is attached at a pivot 46 to the front swing link 34, and the lower, rear end of the inner seat bracket 45 is attached at a pivot 48 to the rear swing link 38. A spring 47 extends between a pin on the inner seat bracket 45 and a pin on the rear swing link 38. The front and rear swing links 34, 38 control the relative movement of the seat 18 relative to the base 12.

Referring again to FIG. 2, a backpost 50 is fixed to the backrest 22 and is attached to the outer seat bracket 44 at a pivot 52. A recline link 54 is attached to the backpost 50 at a pivot 56 and extends downwardly therefrom to attach to an intermediate section of the rear swing link 38 at a pivot 58. These links control the relative movement of the backrest 22 and seat 18.

Referring once again to FIG. 2, an ottoman linkage 60 includes an upper ottoman swing link 62 that is attached to the forward end of the outer seat bracket 44 at a pivot 64, and further includes a lower ottoman swing link 66 that is attached to the outer seat bracket 44 at a pivot 68 that is located downwardly and rearwardly from the pivot 64. Both of the upper and lower ottoman swing links 62, 66 extend downwardly and rearwardly from the outer seat bracket 44. An upper ottoman extension link 70 is attached to the lower ottoman swing link 66 at a pivot 72 and extends upwardly and forwardly therefrom. The upper ottoman extension link 70 is also attached to the upper ottoman swing link 62 at a pivot 74. A lower ottoman extension link 76 is attached to the upper ottoman swing link 62 at a pivot 78 and extends upwardly and forwardly therefrom. A front ottoman bracket 80, to which the front ottoman 24 a is mounted, is attached to the upper and lower ottoman extension links 70, 76 at pivots 82, 84 respectively. In this position, the front ottoman 24 a is generally vertically disposed and serves as a front panel of the love seat 10. A rear ottoman bracket 86, which is mounted to the rear ottoman 24 b, is attached to the lower ottoman extension link 76 at a pivot 88. The rear ottoman bracket 86 includes a slot 86 a that receives a pin 80 a on the upper ottoman extension bracket 80.

Referring yet again to FIG. 2, an electric power unit 90 (in this instance a linear actuator) comprises a motor 92, a sleeve 94, and a retractable rod 96. The motor 92 is mounted to a mounting bracket 98 at a pivot 100; the mounting bracket 98 is fixed to a cross-member 39 that extends between the rear swing links 38. The rod 96 is attached to a bracket 102 at a pivot 104; the bracket 102 is fixed to a cross-member 67 that extends between the lower ottoman swing links 66. In the upright position of FIG. 2, the rod 96 is retracted into the sleeve 94.

Either of the seats 18 and backrests 22 can be moved to TV or fully reclined positions independently of the other seat 18/backrest 22. To move one of the sections of the love seat 10 from the upright position to the TV position of FIG. 3, the occupant activates the motor 92 of the power unit 90, typically via a push button, toggle switch, or the like. Activation of the motor 92 causes the rod 96 to begin to extend from the sleeve 94. This action forces the lower ottoman swing link 66 to rotate counterclockwise (from the vantage point of FIG. 2) about the pivot 68. Rotation of the lower ottoman swing link 76 drives the upper ottoman extension link 70 forward, and also draws the upper ottoman swing link 62 counterclockwise about the pivot 64. Relative movement of the upper and lower ottoman extension links 70, 76 rotates the front ottoman bracket 80 (and in turn the front ottoman 24 a) counterclockwise to a generally horizontal position, and also rotates the rear ottoman bracket 86 counterclockwise until the rear ottoman 24 b is generally horizontal. Movement ceases when a pin 62 a on the upper ottoman swing link 62 strikes the upper edge of the upper ottoman extension link 70 (see FIG. 3).

In the TV position, the front and rear ottomans 24 a, 24 b are positioned forward of the seat 18 and are generally horizontally disposed. However, the seat 18 and backrest 22 are substantially stationary relative to each other or to the base 12 as the seating unit 10 moves between the upright and TV positions.

To move a section of the love seat 10 from the TV position to the fully reclined position of FIG. 4, the occupant again activates the motor 92 of the power unit 90, which further extends the rod 96 from the sleeve 94. Because the ottoman linkage 60 is fully extended and is prevented from further extension by the pin 62 a, additional extension of the rod 96 applies a rearwardly-directed force on the bracket 98 mounted to the rear swing links 38. This forces overcomes an “over-center” condition between the pivots 48, 100 and 104 and drives the rear swing link 38 counterclockwise about the pivot 40 (which causes the power unit 90 to move forward relative to the base 12). Rotation of the rear swing link 38 drives the seat mounting assembly 42 (and the seat 18 and backrest 22) forward and upward relative to the base 12, with the movement of the seat 18 also being controlled by the front swing link 34 as it rotates counterclockwise about the pivot 36. Rotation of the rear swing link 38 also forces the recline link 54 upwardly and rotates it clockwise about the pivot 58, which causes the backpost 50 to pivot counterclockwise about the pivot 52. In this embodiment, the backpost 50 reclines such that its uppermost portion moves rearwardly relative to the base 12 no more than about 4 inches. Also, the ascension of the recline link 54 causes the seat 18 to rise (in this embodiment between about 3 and 6 inches). Movement ceases when the rod 96 is fully extended from the sleeve 94.

The ability of the power unit 90 to move forwardly with the rear swing link 38 enables the reclining mechanism 30 to be relatively simple even though it can provide wall-proximity capability. Because the power unit 90 moves with the rear swing link 38, the rear swing link 38 can be coupled with the backpost 50 with just the recline link 54. This capability is typically much more complicated and requires more moving parts, particularly in seating units in which actuation of the seating unit occurs via a handle or the like that extends through the arm of the seating unit, as such a handle typically cannot move relative to the arm.

The seat 18 and backrest 22 can be returned to the TV and upright position by activating the motor 92 of the power unit 90 to reverse its direction, thereby retracting the rod 96 into the sleeve 94. The links of the reclining mechanism 30 reverse the movements described above in returning to the TV and upright position.

The foregoing embodiments are illustrative of the present invention, and are not to be construed as limiting thereof. Although exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the claims. The invention is defined by the following claims, with equivalents of the claims to be included therein. 

1. A seating unit, comprising: a base configured to rest on an underlying surface; a seat; a backrest; an ottoman; and a reclining mechanism attached to the base, seat, backrest and at least one ottoman, the reclining mechanism comprising a series of pivotally interconnected links configured and arranged to control the movement of the seating unit between an upright position, in which the seat is generally horizontally disposed and positioned above the base, the backrest defines a first backrest angle relative to horizontal and is positioned above a rear portion of the base, and the ottoman is positioned below the seat and above a forward portion of the base, a TV position, in which the ottoman is generally horizontally disposed and positioned forwardly of the base and the seat, and a fully reclined position, in which the backrest defines a second angle relative to horizontal that is less than the first angle; wherein the backrest and seat are substantially stationary relative to the base as the seating unit moves between the upright and fully reclined positions; and wherein an uppermost portion of the backrest moves no more than 4 inches rearward relative to the base as the seating unit moves from the TV position to the fully reclined position.
 2. The seating unit defined in claim 1, further comprising an electrically-powered actuator that drives the seating unit between the upright, TV and fully reclined positions.
 3. The seating unit defined in claim 1, wherein the actuator is a linear actuator.
 4. The seating unit defined in claim 3, wherein the reclining mechanism includes a front swing link pivotally mounted to the base and to the seat and a rear swing link pivotally mounted to the base and to the seat.
 5. The seating unit defined in claim 4, wherein the actuator is pivotally attached to a bracket fixed to the rear swing link.
 6. The seating unit defined in claim 4, wherein the reclining mechanism includes a backpost fixed to the backrest and pivotally attached to the seat.
 7. The seating unit defined in claim 6, wherein the reclining mechanism further includes a recline link pivotally attached to the backpost and to the rear swing link.
 8. The seating unit defined in claim 3, wherein the linear actuator moves forward relative to the base as the seating unit moves from the TV position to the fully reclined position.
 9. A seating unit, comprising: a base configured to rest on an underlying surface; a seat; a backrest; an ottoman; and a reclining mechanism attached to the base, seat, backrest and at least one ottoman, the reclining mechanism comprising a series of pivotally interconnected links configured and arranged to control the movement of the seating unit between an upright position, in which the seat is generally horizontally disposed and positioned above the base, the backrest defines a first backrest angle relative to horizontal and is positioned above a rear portion of the base, and the ottoman is positioned below the seat and above a forward portion of the base, a TV position, in which the ottoman is generally horizontally disposed and positioned forwardly of the base and the seat, and a fully reclined position, in which the backrest defines a second angle relative to horizontal that is less than the first angle; wherein the backrest and seat are substantially stationary relative to the base as the seating unit moves between the upright and fully reclined positions; and wherein an uppermost portion of the backrest moves no more than 3 inches rearward relative to the base as the seating unit moves from the TV position to the fully reclined position; and wherein the seat moves upwardly between about 3 and 6 inches relative to the base when the seating unit moves between the TV and fully reclined positions.
 10. The seating unit defined in claim 9, further comprising an electrically-powered actuator that drives the seating unit between the upright, TV and fully reclined positions.
 11. The seating unit defined in claim 9, wherein the actuator is a linear actuator.
 12. The seating unit defined in claim 11, wherein the reclining mechanism includes a front swing link pivotally mounted to the base and to the seat and a rear swing link pivotally mounted to the base and to the seat.
 13. The seating unit defined in claim 12, wherein the actuator is pivotally attached to a bracket fixed to the rear swing link.
 14. The seating unit defined in claim 12, wherein the reclining mechanism includes a backpost fixed to the backrest and pivotally attached to the seat.
 15. The seating unit defined in claim 14, wherein the reclining mechanism further includes a recline link pivotally attached to the backpost and to the rear swing link.
 16. The seating unit defined in claim 11, wherein the linear actuator moves forward relative to the base as the seating unit moves from the TV position to the fully reclined position.
 17. A seating unit, comprising: a base configured to rest on an underlying surface; a seat; a backrest; an ottoman; a reclining mechanism attached to the base, seat, backrest and at least one ottoman, the reclining mechanism comprising a series of pivotally interconnected links configured and arranged to control the movement of the seating unit between an upright position, in which the seat is generally horizontally disposed and positioned above the base, the backrest defines a first backrest angle relative to horizontal and is positioned above a rear portion of the base, and the ottoman is positioned below the seat and above a forward portion of the base, a TV position, in which the ottoman is generally horizontally disposed and positioned forwardly of the base and the seat, and a fully reclined position, in which the backrest defines a second angle relative to horizontal that is less than the first angle; and a linear actuator attached to the reclining mechanism to drive the seating unit between the upright, TV and fully reclined positions; wherein an uppermost portion of the backrest moves no more than 4 inches rearward relative to the base as the seating unit moves from the TV position to the fully reclined position. 